Summer Courses

I am now in San Diego, California visiting my family for one week before going back to Salt Lake for training and then on to Brazil. I hadn't realized how much I have missed San Diego until I was driving through San Bernardino on the way way home. I started remembering so many things that I love about California, including the beach! I never used to like going to the beach, but now I'm excited to go. The only thing I haven't missed is the pollution. It has to have worsened over the past few months. As I was coming around the mountain where I-215 and I-15 meet, I could see the blanket of smog lying over the city. Then when I was coming down the grade, I was astonished at how thick the smog was. I couldn't even see the mountains. There was just a white wall of smog in front of me.

My real purpose of this entry is to explain that, while in Brazil, I will also be taking some classes for credit at BYU. The way students on internships with ERS take classes is unique. It's a sort of mix between Independent Study and Study Abroad. Each student must form Course Contracts with an individual professor. It has been a real challenge finding a course that can be done well independently and finding a professor who is willing to give some of his/her time to communicate with the student during the summer.

I have been fortunate to find four classes that I will be doing during the internship.

TMA 150 - Public Speaking. This one will be fairly simple and fun. I just record myself giving speeches (toasts, argument, introduction, etc.) and e-mail them to my professor.

REL 324 - Doctrine and Covenants. All BYU students are required to take a determined number of courses in religion, mainly focusing on the scriptures of the Church, which include the Bible, Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants. The latter is a compilation of revelations given to Joseph Smith in the early years of this dispensation. I will read sections 1-76 and read a bunch of commentary then take quizzes online.

HLTH 383 - Mind, Body, Health. I'm very excited for this one. It will deal with theory and research of how negative emotions increase disease susceptibility and positive emotions encourage immune strength, health, and healing. The text book is here.

PORT 395R - Brazilian Culture. This will be the most involved, but fortunately it goes right along with what I'm going to be doing... sort of. What I mean is that the course requires me to learn about the Brazilian culture, and what better way is there to do that than to be in Brazil and live like a Brazilian. Some of the assignments include going to a religious ceremony (of another denomination), playing sports with locals (yay! soccer!), preparing a traditional meal, and learning games from children and playing them. There will also be quite a bit of reading, but the textbook looks fascinating.

Altogether it will be 10 credits of classes. I should have taken about 12, but I think 10 will keep me busy enough.

As some "supplemental" intellectual improvement, my companion and I plan to learn capoeira, swim, exercise, and watch the World Cup!

Summer Internship

In my first blog I mentioned that I decided to start this blog as a way for people to keep up with my experience in Brazil. I thought I'd take a few minutes to explain what I'll be doing in Brazil for three months this summer.

A Little Bit of History
Let me begin by explaining that I spent two years in São Paulo, Brazil (January 2002-January 2004) as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was one of the best experiences of my life up to now. Because of that I am very excited to return to Brazil to continue volunteering my service, but in a different context (and without so many rules).

The internship I will be participating in is part of Brigham Young University's International Study Programs. I first heard about it at the end of last semester. Because I had served a mission in Brazil I received an e-mail asking for volunteers to participate in the program during Winter Semester 2006. I really wanted to go but I didn't feel like I had enough time to prepare for it. At the beginning of this semester I happened to see a booth about the International Study Programs and asked about Brazil. I was happy to hear that they were looking for volunteers to go during the summer. I signed up quickly and things have been rolling ever since.

What Will I be Doing?
The LDS Church is very concerned with the welfare of its members as well as everyone else in the world (see the Church's Welfare Site). It has implemented various plans to help people become more self-reliant. You can find a lot of helpful information at Provident Living.
As part of these programs the Church has developed the LDS Employment Resource Services, an internal organization dedicated to helping people find employment. ERS facilitates workshops that help individuals develop their communication, self-presentation, and networking skills, as well as provide a resource for finding job opportunities. I will be in charge of the former. For twenty hours a week I will present workshops focusing on four areas: My Goals, My Resources, My Interaction, My Success. Using group activities, self-introspection exercises, and learning materials I will help people focus on their talents, skills, and strengths to apply them to their search for employment.

I'm very excited for this opportunity to return to Brazil. I will have a week at the end of my service to spend in São Paulo to visit the people I met as a missionary. I hope you enjoy hearing about my experiences over the next few months.

Até mais!

First Blog

This is my first time writing a blog. I didn't really think I'd ever do this, but since I'm planning on spending three months volunteering in Recife, Brazil, I thought it might be a good way for family and friends to keep up with my life.

I'm using Journler for the Mac to write these entries.

Nathan